Cardboard for Weed Control

At our old garden, we faced the problem of all other gardens: weed invasion. At our new garden, we are making a concentrated effort to try to reduce the problem of weeds. You may have seen some of our Master Gardeners carrying cardboard from trash picks ups, we even get calls from friends donating “nice cardboard.”

Lisa Hauling Cardboard to The Raincatcher’s Garden

We prefer the plain brown stuff, stripped of packing labels and any plastic and broken down please.

We lay it down, overlapping seams, with 3-6 inches of mulch on top. Several layers of cardboard is permissible and more mulch equals less weeds. Some say to water the cardboard to make it more pliable. Of course, during this rainy year we have not had to do that.

Cardboard Peeking Out From Under Mulch, More Mulch to be Added

And here’s a word about our mulch selection: you can see our mulch looks organic. We use chopped up tree trimmings, not purchased mulch. If you are buying mulch (we prefer free), don’t buy the colored mulch that has dye added.

Mulch Close-Up

Besides cardboard and mulch, what do you need? Willing labor!

Thank You Judy, Abbe, and Michele!

Our most recent mulch drop off came from Dallas Arborilogical Services. More is needed to build our beautiful, weed free garden. For drop off information, call the Dallas County Master Gardener hotline, 214 904 3053 and say The Raincatcher’s Garden sent you.

We do the same thing in our beds!! Our first time to try the cardboard trick was last Spring (2014) and it worked wonders at keeping the weeds at bay. I figure it’s one more barrier the weeds have to work through before they spring up out of the ground. Highly recommend!